After thinking about that statement, Simmons backed off…a little, tweeting: “I feel bad about saying Olbermann lives alone. I forgot about his cats.”

This latest war of words involving the always opinionated Olbermann erupted when the faux MSNBC “news’ anchor attacked Simmons for comparing the comeback attempt of Tiger Woods with another sports legend: Muhammad Ali, discussing Ali’s comeback from exile over his fight against being drafted into the military.

Wrote Simmons:

When Ali returned from his exile with rusty skills, he stopped dancing as much, absorbed more punishment and learned to pick his spots. As his skills slipped even further later in his career, he absorbed insane amounts of punishment and banked on his innate will to prevail in the end. That’s the main reason he can barely say a sentence right now. If Tiger comes back with similar rust, I can’t imagine him being able to change his style on the fly as Ali did. Either it comes back or it doesn’t.

Responded Olbermann:

If the writer can let me know when Woods is punitively drafted by the military even though he is about eight years older than almost all the other draftees, I’ll begin to take him seriously. In the interim I am again left to marvel how somebody can rise to a fairly prominent media position with no discernible insight or talent, save for an apparent ability to mix up a vast bowl of word salad very quickly.

Olbermann’s tirade is his latest attack on a former colleague (Olbermann once hosted ESPN’s Sports Center). He attacked former MSNBC General Manager Dan Abrams recently and has also come under fire for strident attacks on new Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and the entire state of Texas, which he said needs to “evolve.”

The bombastic MSNB anchor has been missing in action recently on MSNBC. The official line is that he is on vacation and taking time to attend to family matters. NBC insiders say the leave may have been forced by NBC execs who have told their fading star to take some time off to reassess.

All of which adds to a growing death watch on “Countdown With Keith Olbermann.

This cable news soap opera — a.k.a. “Countdown With Keith Olbermann” — is alienating viewers as quickly as the angry and demanding diva has pushed away friends, family, and colleagues over the course of his tumultuous career.

When will the show end? Hard to tell. But the increasingly wild-eyed Keith is drawing rubberneckers in the same fashion as a six-car crackup beside the interstate.

Something’s different this week. Can you feel it? The sky is bluer, the air is warmer, the grass is greener, and there’s been a sudden drop in foaming-at-the-mouth incidents across this great land. That’s right: Keith Olbermann has been away all week! He skipped last Friday, showed up for a Special Comment on Monday, and then disappeared again on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Commentary radio and television has done more to divide our nation than has political machines over the ages.

It’s obvious that each side has taken the position that the other needs to go. If that happens, the Republic will cease to exist.

I believe that if it were possible – popular figure heads who define themselves as the high priests of each ideological would jump at the chance to literally exterminate their opposition were there no legal consequence.

The problem is I believe the failed sports reporter is serious when he says these things while others do a bit of theater with their statements. As another poster stated it is all one side with this guy so I just leave him be – not even worth wasting my waning hearing on his show. Only thing lower than the content of his show is the ratings.

Doug- I owe you an (long overdue) apology! Several years ago, you warned us about this guy (Obermann). You claimed that he was no more than a “liberal” hack; I appreciated what seemed to be Obermann’s “brave” stand against the Iraq War!

Well Doug – you were right. I swear that Keith gets his talking points faxed to him each night by Rahm Emmanuel! It’s always those mean, nasty Republicans. He obviously pulls his punches when it comes to Obama. Obermann is little better than: “Corporate/GE Theater”. At least Reagan had class doing this. Best – JB

Olbermann has a history of melting down and burning bridges.
Like him or not, Billy has managed to hold high ratings for a number of years.
Bil O’Reilly is not my cup of tea, however when I have seen his show, I noticed he does have opposing viewpoints on his show, something I never saw when I watched Olbermann.

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